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Northern California People & Places - November 2018

Thu, 11/01/2018 - 1:11amadmin

By:

Rob Merwin

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

It’s time to prepare for the minimum wage changes that begin Jan. 1, 2019. In 2016, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed SB 3, making California the first state in the nation that committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour statewide. Under the bill, California’s minimum wage increases annually so it hits $15 per hour for all businesses by 2023.

Travelers Body & Fender Works, in Fresno, has been acquired by Caliber Collision. Travelers was founded more than 70 years ago and operated one of the largest collision repair facilities in Fresno. Caliber Collison is the largest collision repair company in the U.S with more than 610 collision repair centers in the US. Jim Minnis, of Travelers, said, “We’re going to miss it, but the technology that’s ahead of all of us is going to become very complex. At my age, 76, I feel I should let some younger people take advantage of that.”

Sonoma Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page has been selected as one of three finalists for the 2018 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, an annual award created to recognize the philanthropic efforts of individuals within the NASCAR industry. Page has long committed to the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, and efforts to support and rebuild areas affected by last October’s wildfires. Comcast will award $60,000 to the winner’s affiliated charity. The 2018 award winner will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 15, at W South Beach Hotel in Miami as part of NASCAR Championship Weekend.

ABRA said it plans to complete the purchase of the 39-location California repairer Cooks Collision soon. ABRA senior communications manager Bill Van Cleaf on Thursday stated the purchase will “be complete in a few weeks,” and was announced to employees. ABRA had more than 350 locations as of August. Cook’s is owned by the Woods family, and the business dates back 40 years to Redwood City.

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed legislation that would permanently designate six existing OHV areas comprising 300,000 acres in San Bernardino County: Johnson Valley (expanded by 11,000 acres), Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes and Stoddard Valley. While H.R. 857, the “California Off-Road Recreation and Conservation Act,” expands wilderness designations in the California desert, the bill prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from closing any roads or trails that are currently open for motorized recreational access. H.R. 857 already passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June and now awaits action on the U.S. Senate floor.

Driveroo, an auto care service platform, has announced that it has been chosen by Delivery Guys, who will use Driveroo’s AI-powered application and service network to service and maintain their fleet of delivery vehicles. “Given our current rate of growth, we expect to double our business in the coming quarter, and every time our business grows, the overhead of maintaining our fleet goes up exponentially,” said Armen Gasanyan, CEO, Delivery Guys. “Since implementing Driveroo, our delivery vehicles are more likely to be safe, ready, and available. Our drivers are also spending less time on pre-trip and post-trip inspections.”